Clothes-pressing machine and the like



Dec. 4, 1928. 1,694,224

J. LEPLER CLOTHES PRESSING MACHINE AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 23, 1927 5087? 02' ka? .56 hi1 Patented 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES JACOB LEI-DER, IROVIDENCE, BHODE iparaur orrica.

CLOTHESPPEESSDIG MACHINE AND THE LIKE v Application filed November 28, 1927. Serial No. 285,182.

same time to uti ize the latent heat of the steam to preheat water for the boiler, thus avoiding the trouble and annoyanceynow occasioned by the free discharge of live steam and effecting a very important saving in the cost of. operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a compact, self contained apparatus of the character described which may be installed in an office buildin and operated without annoying the neig by reason of the elimination of noise and live steam.

' whicht econ designates the main frame A further object of the invention is the provision of. an apparatus of this character which is of simple construction and capable of bein easil operated as well as one in ensation of the steam and the preheating of the water for the boiler Proceed automatically with the operation 0 the apparatus.

Other objects and advantages of the-a111- paratus relate to various improved detai s of construction and'advanta es of operation, as will be more fully set fort% in the detailed descri tion to follow.

In t e drawings Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic layout of the apparatus showing the various parts in connected relation with asteam clothes pressin machine of a conventional type, and,

- ig. 2 is a detail sectional view of a ortion of the condenser, taken along the ins 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 of the clothes press for supporting the various parts and serving as a housing for a portion of the operating mechanism. A stationary buck 2 is supported b the frame 1 above the, table 3, and a move le pressin head or buck 4 is mounted u on a vertica 1y movable rock arm 5 which is inged upon a portion of the maln' boring tenants th pipe 18 whereby suction distributing chambers bot supporting frame uck, whereby the pressin y be brought into engagement with thebuck for pressing the clothes or-separated therefrom to provide a free s ace for spreading a garment upon the buc the pressinghead being brought into engagement with t ebuck 2 by. operation of the edal 5'.

The buck 2 an servingl respectively as heating and distrib 1 to swing about an axis arallel with the longitudinal axis of the pressing vhead 4 are each provided with non-communicating chambers ambers which may be arranged in the utin c wellfixnown manner as shown in United States Patent Number 1,326,982, or any other suitable arrangement of the heating and distributing chambers may be employed as circumstances may require or the. exigencies of the case render ex edient.

The apparatus is provided with the usual steam bo er 6 having a burner 7.for generatmg steam. A pipe 8 serves to convey live steam from the oller 6 e ipe 8 is provided with a. va ve 9 for control in the flow of steam from the boiler. Branc pipes 1O and 11 extend from the 8 to the heating chambers of the ressmg to the apparatus, and

Pip

head 4 and stationary buck 2 respect vely for suitably heating 10 is suitable connection to insure to the these members. The pipe access of steam A connection between the heating and distributing chambers of the pressing head is actuated by the valve lever 13 to permit flow of steam from the pipe 10 to the distributing chamber of the pressin head whereby steam may be passed throu b the pad 14 covering the lower face of t e pressing head to moisten the garment bein grossed. A third branch pipe- 15 exten 5 provided with a swiveljoint 12 or other heating chamber of the pressing head i without interruption by reasonof the movement of the pressing head.

om the pipe 8 and is provided with a selff closing valve 16 anda discharge nozzle 17.

to the, distributing for applying suction chamber of the buck 2 through the connecting may be exerted upon the pad 19 coverin the buck 2 to withdraw any steam or con ensed moisture from 'the garment and thus hasten the d same. The provision of se arate in the. bu and. pressing head as above described in which the distributing chambers are provided with openings communicating with the ads 14 and 19 whereby steam may be applie to and ing of the eatin and l vent on and are referred to mere y .arment of the same being) shown and de er 1,326,982, although various forms and arrangements of these chambers other-"than 'those shown in ran desired, No specific form v arr'an ementof these chambers has been shown'ast ey' form-no part of the resent infor the the operation of the purpose of illustrating usualand conventional type of mechanism in"cori,nection withwhichmy improvement is shown and; described although my invention isapplicable" to other forms of pressing machines.

' to it distributin 2a either independent the ipe :'whereby' steam m connecting-pipe 18'.

Y is led back to. the boiler pipes 27 and v [The sai-uosmg at. 1 6 may be actuated by. a pivoted lever 21 from a pedal 22 through valve 24 is'providedfinthe ,pipe 15 .beyond 'a connection23 when desired, and a cut off 1.8 enters admitted chamber of the buck 2 y of or to supplement the to the-distri uting chamadmissionofsteam ber oi theip'ressing head 4 through first closing the valve 24by turning the control handle 25 and thenvactu'ating the tributing chamber of the hue 2 through the condensed moisture from the heating chambers or the buck 2. and pressing head 4 6 through branch 28 respectively which connect 5 with a main pipe 29 provided with a one way j.valve30 adapted to permit the flow of con-" .densed moisture to the boiler while preventi valve t3l boiler from the'pressing apparatus where de- K 1 z; a -'.'1"he suction pipe 15 enters a condenser 34 ingth fl'ow'of water from the boiler to the heating chamber and which has a hand operf or. entirely cutting of! the and communicates with a header 35 located extend downwardly.

t ugh charge condensed steam into a. shallow cham- 'ber.38 from which; the 'con'densedwater .is

in thefcondenser, and a plurality of coils 36 from the header and the base-37 of the condenser to disconducted by a pipe 39 to a receptacle 40.

.mosphe're fromthe chamber 38 an I ficientsize to coils 36.- shown in the condenser, in order to'simplifly the construction, a. i 3 may be employed,

use the greatest practicable number of coils Aventpipe 41 provides an openin I is oisu'fprevent back pressure'in the eonly four cooling coils ter number of co it being my purpose to in order to increase denser and ence of the heat from the steam to the water which surrounds the coils 36 in the condenser 34.

the efliciency of the conare a be readily emwhich ma I A swivel joint cient to receptacle through a g 'self-closin valve 16 to pass steam from the pi e 15to t e disto the at- .24'is open and valve are.

' serves to condense provide-most 'efiective "transfer- In addition to heating-chamber of the pressing head 2 with the main pi e 29 moisture to t e boiler nects the pi jacent to t pipe42 is 6, a branch pipe 42 con- 28 with the suction pipe 15 ade condenser 34 and the branch rovided with a e opened upon first admitting steam tot e heating chamber of the ressing head to vent the air in the heating 0 amber. 44 is provided in t e pi e 28, similar to the swivel ioint 12 previous y described, which permits passage of steam through the pipe in all positions of the pressing head.

- A water inlet pipe 46, provided with a hand valve 47, enters the base 37 of the condenser,

which inlet pipe is preferably a part of theressure sufliunder force water into the boi er 6.. A pipe .48 connects the top of the condenser 34 with the base of the boi er 6, and is provided with a checkvalve 49 which through the pipe 48 to the boiler but prevents flow of water therethrough from the boiler towards the condenser. is also provided for drawing water from a pipe 51 and forcing the water through a pipe 52 providedwith a one way valve 53, whereby upon 0 ening the hand valve 54 water may be force from the pump through the ipe 46, the condenser 34 and the ipe 48 to t e boiler. By closing the city water system and I hand va ve 54 water from the receptacle may steam is first admitted to the heating chambers of the buck sufficiently to bring these.

the pipe 28 o0nnecting the y In the use of my improved apparatus the for conveying condensed hand valve 43- l A pump 50.

members to the desired temperature for opera- 1 i tion, the valve 43 prevent waste of the steam. The valve 9 normally remains open during the operation of the apparatus. When it is desired to' moisten the garment to be pressed steam may be forced thereagainst throu h the pads 14 or 19 by actuation of the va ve lever 13, or the valve 16 after closing the valve 24. In dryingthe garment being pressed the valve 16 is openedto produce a flow of steam through the discharge nozzle 17 and thus exert suction through the pi 18 and pad 19 for removing moisture from th: garment being pressed.

-' The water .m the upright condenser 34 the waste steam admitted to the header 35 and coils 36 through thepi e 15 and the condensed water passes to t e chamber 38 from which it is drained to the receptacle 40 through the pipe 39.

T e water at the top of the condenser 34 is most highly heated y the steam entering being opened it necessary to vent the air therefrom, andthen closed to parts are soconnected he same time forces the more water at the top of the condenser into the boiler through the pipe 48.

he same closing the valve 54 and operating the pump to draw result may be accomplished by piping may be eitherthe lower or bothas may made for exerting suction on buck 2 or the pressing head 4 be desired.

A drain tap 58, having a hand valve 59, is provided in the pipe 46 for draining all of the water from the condenser 34 and the pipe 46 by closing the valve the valve 59 whenever it is desired to the condenser.

drain This drain tap may also be same time removing preheated water from the top of the condenser to -the'boiler, the water admitted to the heated and the water in the base of t e conof the exhaust steam.

It will be seen that my improved apparatus places no extra burden on the operator as the as to operate automatically upon opening the valve 47 to add water to the boiler when city water under pressure is employed.

It will be seen that my improved apparatus is capable of use in all devices of this character where a boiler is employed and exhaust valves 47 and 56, opening the chamber suct on upon the 47 'and opening boiler is alwa s pre- 7 steam is developed which ordinarily must be discharged to the atmosphere whether the exhaust steam isutilized in the apparatus for producing suction or for any other purpose and it is adapted for use, not only with clothes pressing apparatus, but with machines for pressing and shaping hats such as are now employed and which utilize steam he pressing and shaping of the hats.

What I claim is i 1. A clothes pressing apparatus comprising a buck, a pressing head, a boiler, means for supplying steam from the boiler to the buck and pressing head, a steam suction ipe from the boiler connected with the buc a 3. In a clothes pressing apparatus comprising a buck and pressing head, a boiler, means for supplying steam from the boiler head, a steam pipe With the buck for upon the buck, a condenser densation for heating water in the water chamber, said condenser coil being open to the atmosphere, means connecting the water chamber with the boiler for supplying heated water to the boiler, and means for applying pressure to the water chamber for forcing heated water therefrom to the boiler.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

-- JACOB LEPLER.

pipe and utilizing the heat of con- 

